Australia’s Growing Love Affair with Japanese Snow

Eunice Tse (s4111727)

  • I saw a social media post asking “What’s the best ski resort in Australia?”

  • Nearly every comment recommended Japanese resorts like Hakuba and Niseko…

  • This sparked my curiosity, why are so many Australians favoring Japan’s powder snow over their own local slopes?

Photographer: Noriko Hayashi

A Rising Proportion of Australians Embracing Japan’s Winter

*Blue bars represent Japan’s snow season

Data source: Japan National Tourism Organization (2024)

6x More Australians Ski Japan Than The Global Tourist Average

Data source: Japan National Tourism Organization (2024)

Main Factors


  • Snowpack conditions

  • Cost factors

  • Convenience


Photographer: Yoshiki Ishikawa

Snowpack (depth of snow)

  • A strong factor in mountain choice for skiers (Parthum & Christensen, 2022)
  • Higher temperatures & less snowfall results in faster melting and less accumulation of the snowpack & a shorter ski season

*Red represents Japanese resorts, blue represents Australian resorts

Data source: Zippenfenig (2023), Hersbach et al. (2023), Muñoz Sabater (2019), Schimanke et al. (2021)

Cost

  • A large portion of the cost of holidaying in Japan is the plane ticket
  • During the off-peak period, Hakuba in Japan is cheaper than Falls Creek in Victoria

Data source: Malcolm (2024)

Convenience

  • Growing foreigner population & tourism numbers encouraged development of English services and support
  • Compared to Europe, requires less travel time and induces less jetlag (+/-1 hour)

Data source: National Statistics Center (2024)

Conclusions

  • Australians are increasingly traveling to Japan for the snow for multiple reasons
  • Japan has more advantageous climate conditions that result in more reliable snow
  • Cost of accommodation, lift tickets, food, rentals in Japan are consistently cheaper than in Australia
  • Japan is a convenient travel destination with direct flights from major Australian cities to Tokyo, and efficient & reliable public transport options to the slopes

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2025) Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia [Data set]. ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/tourism-and-transport/overseas-arrivals-and-departures-australia/latest-release

Australian Ski Areas Association (2025) Australian Skier Visitation Statistics (’000) [Data set]. https://asaa.org.au/statistics/

Hersbach, H., Bell, B., Berrisford, P., Biavati, G., Horányi, A., Muñoz Sabater, J., Nicolas, J., Peubey, C., Radu, R., Rozum, I., Schepers, D., Simmons, A., Soci, C., Dee, D., Thépaut, J-N. (2023). ERA5 hourly data on single levels from 1940 to present [Data set]. ECMWF. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.adbb2d47

Japan National Tourism Organization (2024). Expectations regarding visit to Japan [Data set]. Japan Tourism Statistics. https://statistics.jnto.go.jp/en/graph/#graph–expectations–regarding–visit–to–japan

Malcolm (2024) Comparing Costs of Skiing in Japan vs Australia. Trail Voyage. https://trailvoyage.com/comparing-costs-of-skiing-in-japan-vs-australia/

Muñoz Sabater, J. (2019). ERA5-Land hourly data from 2001 to present [Data set]. ECMWF. https://doi.org/10.24381/CDS.E2161BAC

National Statistics Center (2024). Regional Statistics Database (System of Social and Demographic Statistics) [Data set]. e-Stat. https://www.e-stat.go.jp/en/regional-statistics/ssdsview

Schimanke S., Ridal M., Le Moigne P., Berggren L., Undén P., Randriamampianina R., Andrea U., Bazile E., Bertelsen A., Brousseau P., Dahlgren P., Edvinsson L., El Said A., Glinton M., Hopsch S., Isaksson L., Mladek R., Olsson E., Verrelle A., Wang Z.Q. (2021). CERRA sub-daily regional reanalysis data for Europe on single levels from 1984 to present [Data set]. ECMWF. https://doi.org/10.24381/CDS.622A565A

Zippenfenig, P. (2023). Open-Meteo.com Weather API [Computer software]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.7970649